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It is inexplicably difficult to find Lao food in New York City. But once a month, Anita Pathammavong’s parents, Saychareunsouk and Melissa, drive four and half hours from Virginia to Brooklyn in order to share traditional Lao dishes with those who seek it out.
On a warm summer evening in late July, I was among those chasing the complex flavors of this underrated cuisine: bright, zesty, punchy from a fermented fish sauce called padaek, herbaceous from the abundant use of lemongrass, mint, cilantro and kaffir lime leaves.
My pursuit had led me to the backyard of a bar in Greenpoint, nose running from spice, eyes watering from the smoky grill beside me. Behind the grill, Saychareunsouk smiled congenially while turning freshly prepared sai oua (Lao herbal beef sausage). Next to him, Melissa wore an expression of extreme focus as she deftly prepared thum mak hoong (Lao papaya salad) with a mortar and pestle.
This was Heunkuoa (pronounced “hyun-kwa”), a monthly pop-up hosted by the Pathammavong family.
